DistroKid has announced a new program called Upstream, a platform that works with unsigned artists to distribute their music through DistroKid with participating record labels. According to Pitchfork, Republic Records is the first label to join the program, with more to join at a later date. The record label’s roster includes Taylor Swift, Post Malone, the Weeknd, Ariana Grande, Nicki Minaj and many more.
Artists that do sign up for the platform will share their Upstream profile with labels, which “contains links to the artist’s music, genres, streaming data, location of the artist, demographic info of the listeners are available, social media links and related artists.”
Producer and former G.O.O.D. Music executive Ché Pope will be head of the Upstream platform and will “work closely with the labels that join Upstream, and act as an advocate for artists who opt-in.”
CEO of DistroKid Philip Kaplan released a statement of the new venture, stating “And record labels have approached us about finding efficient ways to identify talent in the DistroKid community. With demand on both sides, it made sense to play matchmaker. And by forming a relationship with one of the industry’s leading labels, DistroKid artists are able to identify potential partners who can accelerate their careers.”
The platform is live and ready to use, which talented and rising artists can check out here. Artists who have become mainstream from the Upstream platform include 21 Savage and Arizona Zervas. Some artists have also left their labels and became independent on DistroKid such as Ludacris and Tom Waits.
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